Pirates of the Caribbean – The Secret of Hell Water

(A/N- Hmm… it's 2 AM… o.O Oh man… I need… sleep… I hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry it took a little longer to post than usual, it's rather long as was an exceptionally difficult one for me to write. You'll see why probably when you read it. I hope it meets with approval though, please leave me your comments! :: goes off muttering about that Bloody Jack Sparrow being such a bloody hard character to write!::)

Chapter 9- The Reunion

The Black Pearl anchored near the cove off the Rum Cache Island early the next morning.  The pirates had rowed hard all that night and were relieved to see their ship was staying well enough together despite the damages.  All disembarked in the shore boats to find supplies with which to patch their ship, with the exception of Crimp and Quartetto, who stayed behind to guard it.  Captain Jack mused that the chances of the ship being in danger of sinking were not dire, however he was not one to take such risks. Especially since one of the holes seemed to be slowly filling up the brig with every crashing wave. The sooner it could get patched the better.  As much as he wanted the treasure of Hell Water, the welfare of his ship came first.

The thought of Hell Water made him involuntarily grimace.  The mates had not mentioned anything of it. They still assumed they were going. But then again, they did not know where the treasure was or how they were going to get it. And Jack's only means to the answer was lying dead on the bottom of the ocean floor.  He would have to carefully think about how he would handle the situation from here on.  He wondered if the map might provide some clue as to how to access the treasure trove.  There had to be a way of getting to it other than being able to breath underwater.  His father had done it hadn't he? Maybe there was some kind of secret involved.  He wished fervently that he could remember, but he'd subconsciously pushed all those painful childhood memories out of his mind years and years ago.

The sound of the shore boat's hull scraping up on the sand interrupted him from these thoughts.  He jumped out with the rest of the pirates and watched as they hauled the boat further onto the beach with the intention of preventing it from getting swept off by the high tide.  He did not want to stay on the island long, he remembered too well the feelings of frustration he'd endured twice as he watched Barbossa sailing away in his ship while he sat stranded on the tiny palm strewn island.

" Mr. Gibbs, Matellot, Ladbroc, and Kursar," He said with a calm but demanding countenance.  The wind came up in a sudden gust, tugging at the loose ends of his red bandana.  They went whipping about behind his head energetically.  The four pirates that had been addressed stood to attention.  " Go and find some suitable wood for burning into tar and pitch." The pirates acknowledged his request with a brisk nod and an "Aye! Captain…" And set off into the small forest.

Jack Sparrow watched them disappear into the scenery, and then turned to the remaining sailors standing at attention on the beach.  "Cotton, Duncan, Moises, and Anamaria, find wood for patching the hull.  Will and Elizabeth, find some firewood for me, will ye? We'll build it here at this site."

The remaining crew scattered about the Island.  Jack turned and walked with his usual jilting sway along the white sandy beach, humming tunelessly to himself, keeping a sharp eye out for the smooth, round rocks he could use for a fire pit.

"One thing at a time…" he thought to himself, inspecting a rock and tossing it into a small pile.  " Get the Pearl patched up… then worry about Hell Water, and what's to become of the voyage…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma popped her head out of the water, resting her sore and aching body a moment as she let the ocean buoy her to the surface. She had been swimming all night long, and she was making slow progress.  She scanned the surface, not really expecting to see anything, but then caught sight of an island in the far distance.

"It's not Isle de Muerta… but it wouldn't hurt to take a look." She thought, hoping that Jack might have thought to dock there instead. " Even if he's not there, I could use a rest…I'll stop there and regain some strength before pushing forward." With this thought, she summoned up the last of her stamina for a final dash.  She told herself repeatedly that she couldn't be too far behind.  Those thoughts kept her hopes up, along with the solemn assurance that it would take them a few days at least to fully repair the ship, which would give her time to reach her destination.

As she drew closer, her eyes took in a rewarding sight.  A great wave of relief washed over her, and the apprehension she'd been trying hard to quell finally vanished.  She gazed upon the black sails and the familiar flag with its duel swords crossed behind the laughing skull. It was The Black Pearl.  She'd been right! 

There was no time to worry about secrets or whether the crew would accept her or even whether or not Jack Sparrow was still alive and on board the ship, all she could think about was the sweet, peaceful rest that she could award herself when she got there.

Emma winced as a sudden pain in her chest shot through her body, cramping her muscles.  She'd been experiencing the pain throughout the entire trip, but now that she was stationary it seemed to have doubled. The strain of the night's trip had taken its toll and was catching up to her quickly.  She had to keep going though.  The Black Pearl, and her ticket to Hell Water was right there, waiting only a few miles away.  Emma didn't think she'd had any energy left to spare, but with the knowledge that her goal was at hand, she managed to summon the last of her stamina.  Grinding her teeth in desperation, she dove into the water and wearily continued onwards.

The sails were getting closer and closer. She was almost upon them.  Emma bit back the sobs that tried to escape her mouth as her body cried out in indignation to this torturous excursion.  She reached her hands out for the familiar wood scaffolding decorating the stern that she'd used many times in the past to board the ship.

 As her fingers closed over the wood, she let out a sigh of relief then looked up to the open window of the Captain's Cabin high above.  Even though it had been done many times before, the prospect of making the climb this time around made her wince.  The window may as well have been a one thousand foot high sheer wall. There was no way she would be able to make it in her present condition.  Her eyes scanned the shore beyond and she noticed, though her vision was blurred with fatigue, that there were several shore boats high on the white sandy beach. 

"Jack Sparrow is probably on the beach with his crew." She thought wearily.  With an audible sigh of both frustration and desperation, she let go of the scaffolding and sunk down into the water, weary and beaten down by the journey. 

"I made it…" she thought listlessly,  " Just a little more to go… Just a little."

Her entire body ached, and her fins refused to move as much as she willed them too.  Emma allowed herself to sink until she hit a shallow reef and used the hand holds it offered to help pull her through the water.  The sharp, colorful coral cut into her hands, but she did not even feel the sting of the cuts in her desperation to reach the land and the security of finally finding what she sought.

"Just… a little… longer…"

~*~*~*~*~*

Jack had a fair pile of rocks lining the base of the fire pit that they were to use for burning the pitch that would be used to help patch his ship.   He wiped the sweat that was trickling down his brow, and sat amidst the shade of a few palm trees, looking up at the sun as it arched it's way across the vivid blue sky.  Will and Elizabeth had so far stacked a good amount of wood beside the rocks and had gone off to find a bite to eat while waiting for the other mates to arrive.  Jack guessed they were having trouble finding suitable wood.  He had no idea whether or not this island would have some pitch worthy wood.  All he saw around him was palm trees, but perhaps further inland there would be a pine or two.  Whether or not there was any to be found at all, they would make do with what they could.

He guessed it was around noontime.  Now with this job finished, he had a moment's relaxation and turned to gaze out at the ocean apprehensively, half expecting to see some half human half fish jump out in the distant horizon.  But nothing broke the still, sparkling surface of the rolling blue waves. The uncomfortable thought of Emma grotesquely lying on the floor of that ocean, pulled down by the enormous weight of her many skirts and petticoats came back to him unwillingly. Jack envisioned her long pale hair wrapped around her face all alone in a dark expanse of cold nothingness…

He grimaced, and with the intention of doing anything to get his mind off of Emma, he slipped the folded piece of parchment that was his father's map out of it's secure place in the inside of his coat and opened it carefully.  Gazing at it studiously, his other hand went inside his vest and came out with a small flask of rum.  Jack took a swig as his eyes ran over the complex bearings and directions the map detailed for the hundredth time since they'd set off on their voyage.  It was relatively straightforward in terms of specific directions.   In short, it told how to navigate the treacherous waters leading to Hell Water itself so the ship would not get caught on shallow reefs and have holes ripped in her hull.  The map also told of the correct passages to take amidst the maze of twisting cliffs and canyons that was the gateway to the notorious treasure site.  It divulged the locations of the sand bars that perilously sat just under the water, ready to run your ship aground without the slightest hint of warning, and woe to any sailor who was pitched overboard in one of the violent storms that frequently besieged the area. For it was well known that sharks patrolled those waters.

He vaguely remembered the site of Hell Water itself.  The picture of the majestic walls of limestone echoed faintly in his memory.  He recalled the giant whirlpool with a serious frown. Once seen, even if it had been nearly 30 years ago, he could never forget that terrifying site.  The treacherous funnel of water was ready to suck down any ship to the very bottom of Davey Jones' Locker.

According to the map, there was one sandbar that would serve as a safeguard against the pull of the whirlpool. If he managed to run his ship aground on the sand with the wind directly at his tail, the current would not be able to trap the ship and take it under. But which way should the wind be blowing?

Jack shook his head and folded the map up again, putting it securely back in his pocket.  Even if he could figure out that mystery, there was still no indication of how to get to the treasure. There was only a simple red X marked on a spot near the whirlpool beside one of the sheer rock walls.  There was no cave entrance location; it was clearly at the bottom of the ocean as far as he could tell.

For a fleeting instant, he thought about the Cortez treasure. Maybe if he went and stole a piece, then he'd become undead and be able to descend to the watery depths without fear of drowning and recover the treasure that way? But he dismissed the idea as soon as he had conjured it.  By doing so, Barbossa and all his crew would awaken in their graves and probably come again to haunt him.  That was the last thing he wanted.  It was far too risky and dealt with powers he did not wish to tangle with again.  The thought alone that there could be the faintest possibility of loosing his ship again, especially to his worst enemy, made his skin crawl.

He'd been staring lividly out at the ocean as these thoughts ran through his mind.  But then his eye spotted something not too far off shore. It was a slight break in the usual surface of the waves as they were crashing onto the sandy beach.  There was something out there.

He took another great gulp of rum, stowed the small flask in his coat, and sauntered out to the waters edge to see what it was.

"Probably some drift wood…or a dead porpoise…" he thought with a grimace.  "That's the last thing we need… a dead animal to stink up the beach… as if pitch won't smell bad enough…"

Then, his coal-lined eyes widened as he got a clear view of the thing floating on the waves.  It was a person! He was sure he'd seen an arm come out of the water in a weak attempt at a stroke. 

Without another thought, Jack splashed into the shallow water, allowing the pull of the undertow to bring him further out until he was about waist deep.  His first thought was that it might be Quartetto or Crimp with a warning about the state of his ship.  But he dismissed this as he drew closer, the arm was too slim and the figure too small.   Could it have been a sailor from the Commodore's ship that had gotten pitched overboard? Who would be strong enough to swim the entire way to this island?   When he was almost within reach of the faintly struggling person, he noticed the limp honey colored hair and the familiar slim, slightly muscular arms as they weakly paddled with the gentle roll of the waves. Without hesitation, he dipped his arms into the water and lifted Emma out in one smooth motion.  He looked down at her with his eyebrows tightly drawn together with a glance somewhere between complete shock and utter bewilderment.  She laid completely still, her chest rising and falling with accompanying faint gasps of air that escaped her parted lips.

"Alive?" He thought, completely amazed.  But it was true! His eyes moved from her pale face to her heaving chest and continued down until they fell on a long, powerful looking tail of burnt red and gold colored scales poking out from the bottom of her white shift. She attempted to move as he noticed the split fins decorating the end were along the same lines as what you would find on a goldfish, only larger to match her size. At her motion, his gaze snapped back to her face.  

Her head was lolling back as she lay in his arms like a very large doll.  But her eyes had opened to mere slits and she was looking up the bridge of her nose at him from her precarious position.

The outer edges of his dark lined eyes were creased in consternation as he squinted down at her. A wave rolled past and with its pull he took a few steps towards the shore to prevent being knocked over.  He uttered a brief oath and said in a steady tone of voice that did nothing to hide his surprise, "You were dead, love…"

 The corners of Emma's mouth turned up in a tiny smile of satisfaction.

"You see…" She whispered hoarsely.  " I told you…I could… take care of myself."

At saying this, Emma closed her eyes.  Now that she'd reached her goal, she gladly gave into the utter exhaustion caused by her desperate journey and fell into a deep, listless sleep.

"Jack!" it was Elizabeth's voice.  "We found shellfish!"

Jack turned around quickly and surveyed Will and Elizabeth, both dripping wet from head to toe making their way along the beach towards him with arms full of succulent oysters.  They took one glance at him standing waist deep in the water and then at his burden. Elizabeth let her load fall to the ground with a gasp.

Jack raised one eyebrow at Elizabeth, then glanced back at Emma with a thoughtful look on his face, then turned to regard them once again. They stood completely still staring at him open mouthed.

" W…what's that?" Will asked with brows knit together in consternation.

Elizabeth's eyes traveled from Emma's pale, sleeping face to regard Jack with a confused expression as if she expected him to provide them with all the right answers.

Jack's mouth turned down in a contemplative frown as he once again exchanged glances between the two, opening his mouth and shutting it.  He seemed at a loss for words then finally gave a little shrug and said, " What are you looking at me for? She's the bloody mermaid."

~*~*~*~*~*~

They huddled around Emma as Jack laid her out on the beach.  The moment her body came in contact with the warm, dry sand, her tail split apart and vanished, replaced by two thin white legs and sturdy feet.

"It's impossible… We all saw her get shot." Will said, his voice betraying his disbelief.  But they could not deny that her chest was moving up and down in a labored, but steady pattern of breathing. 

" Aye, it would have done me far greater harm if she'd not stepped in the way of the bullet." Said Jack with a solemn nod. " She stopped a good portion of its momentum with her body."

Elizabeth looked at him with an expression of disgust.  " You told us she was dead! And you just left her to sink like that?! She probably would be if she wasn't… uhh… wasn't…"

" A mermaid?" Will chimed.

" Yeah!"

Jack gave an obvious shrug, flinging his hands out with palms facing upwards. "What would you have had me do, darling? I honestly didn't know she was still alive. I saw the blood stop flowing. It was her or me, and she was already dead!"

Elizabeth gave an audible snort and opened her mouth for an angry retort, but stopped as Will laid a hand on her arm.
            " Stop this…" He said low under his breath.  " Well, she's back, the question is now, what do we do with her?"

" I had a feeling there was something odd about her." Elizabeth pursed her lips. "It was the way she moved. And it certainly explains about the map. If she fetched it from the bottom of the sea…"

" Look, mates…" Jack interrupted, eyeing them both wearily.  " I plan on seeing to it that she tells us her story when she wakes, but it probably won't happen for a while yet, and so let's just eat something, have a drink, relax…" He gestured to the two of them and then raised his flask and took a long swig.  " And for now, refrain from mentioning any of this unnerving mythical codswallop to any of the other mates, at least until I get the story first hand from her myself. After that, I'll decide what's to be done."

And so they sat on the beach, cracking open the oysters and eating them raw while Jack drank from his precious supply of rum and Elizabeth and Will both managed to stomach the ships supply of grog that was meant for the other mates. 

" What I wouldn't give for some nice, hot tea…" said Elizabeth wistfully.

Jack gave a little laugh and looked at her with one eyebrow raised.  " We're pirates, darling… you'll not find us drinking that stuff… nothing addles the brains like good, strong rum!"

Elizabeth looked at Jack sarcastically. " That's what worries me…"

" The stuff isn't that bad…" Will said with a grimace. " Once you get used to it…"

He put down his bottle as a hail was chorused by some of the returning pirates.  Mr. Gibbs had returned with his group, carrying between them two sturdy trunks that had been chopped down and stripped of leaves and branches.

" Captain!" Mr. Gibbs said merrily.  " We found ourselves two good pines, sir! Take a look!"

Jack raised his drink to them and then downed the remainder.  He stood up, swaying with the motion and directed the pirates over to the fire pit. Gibbs started in the direction, but just then his eyes fell on Emma, sound asleep on the sand next to Will and Elizabeth and he abruptly let go of his end of the log. There was an oath from the pirate behind him as he was left to carry twice the burden.

" Mary Mother of God…" Gibbs exclaimed in wonder. 

Jack glanced back at Emma and gave a little shrug. "Yes… while you all were getting the wood, she swam up to shore and collapsed. Apparently not dead after all."  He looked back at him and gave a sardonic bow.  " That was my fault, I'm afraid… lucky she's such a strong swimmer, eh?"

Gibbs shook his head in bewilderment.  " With a bullet wound that woulda killed any other sailor? She's come back from the dead, if ye ask me… 'tis bad luck 'tis!"

Jack rolled his eyes, " With you, everything's bad luck. Just get to work ye scabbarous dogs, I'd like to have that pitch before night falls."

Gibbs turned, muttering under his breath about sea turtles and uncommon wonders and they immediately began the tedious process of burning the precious pine wood with the intention of collecting the pitch that was a by product of the charcoal the wood would become.  There were several empty barrels stacked near the fire.  It was piled high and gave off a terrific heat and a foul stench by the time the rest of the pirates came out of the woods, carrying their own loads of timber.

The newcomers set to work cutting the rough wooden planks immediately at Jack's orders. They were anxious to ask questions about Emma's sudden reappearance, but not foolish enough to press Jack Sparrow, who seemed to think that they should be content with his simple answer of " She's alive, savvy? Now get ta work!"

The process was long and tiring, and everyone was covered with dirt and grime by the time the sun was setting behind the horizon. It cast the sky in a radiance of purples and yellows.  The pirates, tired from a day's hard work laughed and told crude stories around the bonfire while they commenced to get extremely drunk.  Elizabeth had managed to slip away for a bath when Jack stood up and started a rousing round of "A Pirates Life for Me." They all sang at the top of their lungs in raucous unison, clanking their bottles of grog or rum and one by one, dropped off into a fitful, intoxicated slumber.

The moon was high in the sky by the time the loud sounds of snores could be heard all about the camp and the cheer had died down.  Will and Elizabeth were curled up together cozily not far away, sleeping peacefully. Jack, too drunk to stand and exhausted from the eventful day, was the only one still awake.  He'd hoped that Emma would awaken at some point during the festivities. But it seemed she would sleep through the night.  He peered down at her through drowsy eyelids.

"Just… what is your story, darling?" he muttered under his breath, running his fingers lightly over her face, removing a stray piece of hair that had blown across her nose.  Then he traced the fine contours of her jawbone, down her neck, running his finger along the fine lines of her collarbone, and lay to rest just over where he'd seen the bullet penetrate her chest.  It rose and fell gently to the rhythm of the rolling waves.  He furrowed his brows as he hooked a ringed finger under the neck of her shift and moved it slightly to the side, revealing the wound. 

He stared at it in drunken amazement.  The wound had healed at an alarming rate.  There was no hint of blood, as it had already clotted and scabbed completely over.

" You're just full of surprises…aren't you?" He gazed down at her with a hint of mischief in his dark eyes.  " Fascinating…"

His eyes lingered on her a little while more, then he luxuriously rolled over on his side, put his arm behind his head.  Jack ticked off all his good fortunes for the day in his mind as he lay quietly, listening to the rolling of the waves, the gentle snores of the sleeping pirates, and the crackle of the dying flames. The pitch had been successfully collected and the rough planks of wood had been cut.  Tomorrow's work would be long but rewarding.  With luck, they would be able to sail the day after the morrow. He had his gold mine of information back and sleeping beside him. " There is no doubt about it," thought Captain Jack Sparrow as he drifted into slumber.  " The future is looking bright."

~*~*~*~*~

It was near dawn when Emma stirred and finally awoke.  She opened her eyes, wondered for a moment where she was and what had happened. Then sat up quickly.  Her chest still hurt, but it was not nearly as bad as it had been.  She put a hand up to check the progress of the wound's healing and found it almost completely gone.  Then, she took in her surroundings.  Pirates lay strewn about the campsite, sound asleep. Littered about their still bodies were many empty bottles. It was evidence of the last night's festivities.

She recognized the familiar faces and smiled to herself.  She didn't quite remember how she'd gotten there, but it was like waking up from a very bad dream, and she felt the relief wash over her.  She was back among the crew of The Black Pearl, which was still anchored peacefully just off shore. 

But then the smile slid off her face as she wondered just how it was that she came to be resting on the beach with them all. She didn't remember in the slightest how she'd gotten there. It was all such a foggy haze in her memory. The last thing she remembered was pulling herself across the reef.  She glanced at the cuts on her arms that she'd gotten on the previous day. They were already nearly healed over.

The smoke from the fire billowed softly as the breeze blew gently on the embers, and the faint but foul odor of pitch made her wrinkle her nostrils.  She blinked and looked about the sleeping bodies, she could see Will and Elizabeth huddled closely together at the edge of the campsite, Will had one arm protectively wrapped around Elizabeth, who was burrowed deep into his chest with her own arms clutched tightly to herself for warmth.  There was Cotton, Mr. Gibbs, Matellot, Anamaria…" She rang off the names in her head as she surveyed each sleeping pirate.  But she did not see Jack.  She looked to her opposite side; his hat and pistol in its buckled holster were lying beside her. It was a definite sign that he was alive. Suddenly, she caught a sudden movement in the corner of her eye and whirled around to see Jack walking out from the palm tree festooned inner island.  He caught a glance of her watching him, then gave a tiny crack of a smile and sauntered down to greet her.

" I was wondering when you'd decide to join the land of the living again…" he said, grinning at his own joke.  Emma's face paled and she hugged her knees up to her, glancing at him nervously.

" Ohh—yes… well… I couldn't very well let you all get away and have all the fun by yourselves now… could I?"

" That's the kind of attitude that I like to hear." Jack said conversationally, not taking his penetrating gaze off of her.  " Now, love, care to take a short walk?"

" Walk?"

" Why yes…" Jack said, gesturing out at the steadily lightening horizon.  The sun had still not yet come up, but it was light enough to walk around without bumping into things.  " You know, there's a lovely little spot where you can see the sunrise." He glanced back at her, trapping her eyes with his penetrating gaze.  " It's just too beautiful for words, I can guarantee you'd love it…"

Emma nodded and stood up, wincing slightly but was able to hide her discomfort from Jack, who'd whirled around by then and was walking up the sandy beach with large jaunty strides. She followed after him, wondering just what he was up to.

He skipped ahead, unaware that she was having difficulty catching up.  Her wound still smarted, and her body's aching muscles did not like the thought of sudden, quick movements.  She pressed on determined, but noticed with chagrin that he'd waded into the water and climbed up on a rocky outcrop that was a good 15 feet from the shore. He glanced back at her and gestured for her to join him.

" Ummm…" Emma stood at the edge of the water, keeping a weary eye on the waves as they crept slowly closer with the incoming tide. She clutched the fabric of her thin dress tightly in balled fists. " I'd rather not, thank you."

Jack gave a metallic smile.  " There's no point in hiding it any more. I pulled ye from the water, I know what ye are."

Emma blanched, then took an audible breath and glanced back at the distant campsite.

" No need to worry, darling." Jack said in an inescapably deep and charming tone of voice.  " They have no clue, except for Will and Elizabeth, who found ye with me."

Emma frowned, then pursed her lips and stood a little straighter. "You've made your point, Captain Jack Sparrow…" She said his full name and title with an edge of contempt.  " What is it you want then? And you can forget about the water, I'll not go a step further until you tell me what you're up to."

Jack flashed her a mischievous grin and jumped off the rock, landing in the water up to his knees and splashed back towards her. As he did so, the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. But Emma was too busy watching him to notice. He regarded her with the look that a fisherman might have, just as he'd caught a fish that he believed was particularly large, and was in the process of reeling it in.

" What I'd like to know love…" He said as he approached her, coming up very close. His gaze was so intense that it made her take a step back involuntarily.  " What exactly is it that you're after from me?"

" After?" Emma said softly, biting her lip. " But—Our agreement was—"

" Agreement or no agreement," Jack broke in, his face was serious, " If you don't tell me exactly what it is you want, then I'll turn my ship straight around and head back to Tortuga."

Emma frowned at him, gripping her dress even tighter, unable to tear her eyes away from his intense look.

Jack smiled and tilted his head to one side, one eyebrow raised in a questioning glance. " Well, love? Just exactly what is your story? What would a mermaid want with a mangy crew of seafaring scallywags anyways? Why would you set us off on this dangerous voyage with my father's map in your bodice and ready to declare yourself a pirate?"

She could see she was well cornered.  There was no way she would be able to get out of this.  But it was what she'd wanted, wasn't it? Her wish of finally being able to tell him the full truth was about to be granted, right?  At least he'd discovered the mermaid thing on his own. So that was out of the way.

 " Okay…" She finally said, tearing her eyes away and letting go of her skirts. It was now or never. "Okay… I'll tell you."

Jack smiled coyly as they sat on the white sand close together, both ignoring the spectacular sun as it climbed higher above the horizon.  The sky was a delicate shade of purple and gold and the few whiffs of cloud that blew by were orange in hue.

Emma took a deep breath and began at the best beginning she could think of.

" How old do you think I look?" She asked him.

Jack pursed his lips, and then shrugged.  " Twenty… give or take a few years…"

" I'm seven hundred and fifty. Or—so I think…" Emma said softly.  She looked away from him, afraid to see his expression.  " I lost track after awhile."

Jack's eyes had widened at this new piece of information.  " Well… that's certainly interesting."

Emma gave him a sardonic smile.  " Yes, well… it's also my way of saying that I'm immortal."

Jack nodded his head with a look of thoughtfulness. His coal-lined eyes were studying her avidly.

Emma tore her gaze away and drove a fist into the sand angrily.  "I've seen wars, bloodshed, countries rise up and crumble down… I've lured sailors to their deaths with my song… I've saved ships from perilous rocks and weather… I've done all these things…" Her voice became dangerously soft.

" Yes, the song part I can understand." Said Jack with a sage nod. Emma shot him a glance, then signed audibly and shook her head.

" I couldn't think of any other way to save you, I'm sorry. I knew the moment you turned your back that bloody Norrington man would shoot you."

" Aye, don't worry about it love. Please continue."

" I hate it!" She cried loudly, clawing at the sand in earnest.

" Well… the voice could use some improvement, I admit… perhaps if you tried to not make it explode the eardrums so badly then—"

" --No!" Emma interrupted him, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. " I hate this!" She gestured to herself angrily, flinging her hands up to her own face. " I could have almost died the other day, but I didn't!"

" Aye?" Jack said, not following her.

" I'm immortal! Don't you see?" She said the words with such fervor; Jack swung back his head and gazed at her dubiously.

" Immortal… yes, you said that part already."

" I can't die! I've been stuck on this planet for seven hundred and fifty years, as far as I know… and what have I done? Nothing! I know these waters like the back of my hand… but it's all empty. Killing or saving people… none of it matters.  No one believes in mermaids anymore anyways… Half of the people fear us to death or hate us. I have no friends, no family… no one cares! And many people don't even believe…"

"I believe…now…" Jack chimed in. Emma shook her head and grimaced.

" We used to have a choice, we could turn mortal if we wanted too. We'd join the humans above and no one would be the wiser… but that all changed, about one hundred years ago, our treasure was stolen."

The word 'treasure' caught Jacks attention, and he sat watching her in avid fascination as she sat, prepared to unfold her story.

" It was the pirate… Captain Kidd was his name… quite notorious treasure seeker he was." She said the name with loathing.  " He found the cave where we kept It. Our secret was safe for thousands of years until he stumbled upon it. That cave was only safe to enter during one particular phase of the full moon, when the tide was particularly low. He was certainly lucky…"

"It?" Jack asked.

Emma ignored his question; she was too wrapped up in her story.  "And he stole It, and then got himself caught and hung before anyone could find out where he had hidden his hoard."

" Yes, but what is 'It?'"

" Then 'Black Jack' Sparrow found it." Emma continued, glancing up at him.  " Your father, right?"

Jack's eye twitched slightly, as his only indication that she'd been correct. Emma smiled grimly.

" He didn't know what it was, he had no idea of the power it contained…"

" Yes… now back to the 'It' thing…" Jack tried to interject.

" --And so I made it my quest to find out where he kept his hoard, and steal our treasure back from him." She looked resolutely out at the sunrise; her gaze set and determined. Jack was starting to get fidgety. " I longed to be free of this empty life. I found his ship, the Donalda in the middle of the Spanish Main one day, and followed it to Hell Water.  I managed to stow away once night, because the waters themselves were too dangerous to swim in. It was easy to remain unnoticed…"

" Yes, but WHAT is 'IT'?!" Jack said forcefully.  Emma shot him a look of fright and confusion, then bit her lip and looked down at her hands that were by now tightly folded in her lap.

" Ohh….  We call it the Blade of Neptune."

Jack raised an eyebrow as Emma continued to rush forward with her explanation, painfully aware of his scrutiny.

" It was a dagger… so old that no one can really tell how or where it was made. But it's sharpened from the bleached white bones of the ancient sea beasts, and was enchanted by the Sea God himself during the great battles that were being held between the Gods while the earth was still young, to have the power to turn any creature it touched mortal, if that creature happened to be immortal, and vice versa."

She glanced up at Jack, who looked at her with mild amusement, and shot him an indignant stare. " It's the truth! You asked me to tell you!"

" Aye… I'm just wondering now if I even wanted to know that badly in the first place."

Emma rolled her eyes. "  Believe me or not, it's your choice."

"Well." Jack squinted out at the sun.  The great orange ball of light had just cleared the horizon.  " I suppose I haven't got much choice… If mermaids exist, I suppose this treasure does as well." His mouth turned up in a familiar grin, the new sun flashed off his metal teeth. " It's all very interesting…"

Emma jumped onto her knees and rounded on him angrily.

"Don't get any idea's Jack Sparrow!" She said angrily. " That treasure is mine! It's what I need!"

" Aye?" Jack threw his head back with a smirk, regarding her coolly.  " And just who is it that's going to take you to this treasure?"

Emma's mouth fell open at this question, and then she sat back on her heels a little apprehensively.  " Look… what exactly is it that you want from me? I'm telling you my story…"

" See here, love." Jack leaned forward, beckoning her closer as he dropped his voice to a low whisper.  " Ye seem to be keen on pirates, savvy?  So take this bit of information from me. As of right now, I'm of a mind to take this treasure you so desire and keep it for myself. A dagger that would give immortality? Now that's a fair treasure, to be sure…"

She opened her mouth, ready for a furious retort, but he held a hand up. "However-" He interrupted tersely. " I'm waiting for the catch."

"Catch?" Emma looked at him dubiously. " There's no catch. If you're cut with it, then you'll become immortal- or in my case…" She straightened her posture, jutting her chin out regally. "Mortal!"

"Very well then," Jack waved this aside with a quick hand gesture.  "So-- what else haven't ye told me?"

She sighed, " Okay okay… I was getting to that…" Then flashed him an ugly look and muttered under her breath. " Filthy pirate…" She wondered why in the world she had been so desperate to see his face just a day ago.

" Well?" Jack said with finality, gazing at her intensely.  The girl raised an eyebrow, returning his gaze with equal fervor.

" If you must know… it was that night that the ship arrived at Hell Water, which was to be Donalda's final voyage."

Jack's gaze intensified as she said this.  Emma took a deep breath and plunged on.

" The pirates were all very pleased about something, I didn't know what it was.  But then… something went wrong."

" Wrong?" Jack said softly, egging her to continue.  Emma's eyes unfocused, reliving that horrifying moment.

" I managed to escape during the chaos, I dove into the water… but…" And she gave a terrible shudder. " Such a horror… I can't even describe what had descended upon that ship. I saw it with my own eyes." She trembled, Jack's memory slowly came into focus… he could relive that night as well.

"A terrible storm came suddenly." Emma's voice echoed in his mind, but he could see the dark sky alight with lightning and the terrible crash of thunder and the pounding of the wind and the rain on his face.  There were screams and shouts about the ship.  People running too and fro, and then a great crash sent him skidding across the deck.  " The ship was sinking, the sudden wind had run them upon the rocks," Emma's voice carried to his ears in a soft narration.  " Water was coming in fast, there was no time to even put out the shore boats, and that thing was not about to let its prey escape."

He saw the pirates falling to their deaths, and the water frothing up with their blood.

"I was too terrified to stop it. My voice froze in fear… I don't even know if it would have made a difference." She said, echoing the terrifying visions his mind brought from the depths of his memory.  His father had thrown off his coat and handed it to his son.  Young Jack put the overly large coat on, intent to keep it safe, as Captain 'Black Jack' Sparrow had instructed.  The Captain tried to shoot it with the canons, but the gunpowder was wet from the pounding rain.  It was sinking further. He was thrown overboard, and disappeared into reddened wake of the great whirlpool. There seemed no hope as the ship was rocked with one resounding crash after another.

 "And the final strike was the lightning streaking down. It split the mast down the middle, and the ship lit on fire in a great shower of sparks." Emma's voice was hollow and seemed very far away.   Jack saw a great blinding flash, had only enough time to take a desperate breath as water engulfed him. He had been thrown overboard by the great explosion as the fire hit the powder kegs below deck that were still dry.  He was sinking further, his body was heavy and a great, agonizing pain pulsed in his head.

" I had gone down to see if I could recover my treasure." She said softly.  "But— I saw a child in the water and he was hurt badly.  A head injury, if I remember… The horrible monster was busy feeding, but it was only a manner of time before it would become attracted to his blood. I thought that I should be thankful for this distraction, but the kid was impossible to ignore. He was so young—I couldn't allow him to die."

The last memory Jack had was more a sensation than anything else, but of arms wrapping around him and hoisting him up towards the surface.

" We survived that night, on a piece of floating debris, somehow…"

Jack came back to the present, he watched Emma with piercing dark brown eyes.  He had a solemn countenance, but was listening with rapt attention all the same, not believing what his ears were hearing. She continued her story, unaware of his intense stare.

" He was unconscious throughout most of it, but I paddled us out of Hell Water, I think the storm had been so severe, most of the creatures inhabiting the waters had taken their own shelter, and were content to let us pass.  I don't know myself, but on the third day, as I passed beyond the great reef, greatly fearing for the life of the child…which was fading fast, I saw a ship on the horizon. At that moment he awoke in the midst of a fever dream and saw me.

Jack shook his head; he did not remember any of this at all. At least, he didn't think he did…

" He… thanked me for saving him." She smiled despite herself, clutching her skirts in her hands again.  " He said he didn't have anything he could repay me with himself.  But instead, he would give me the Captain's most precious possessions.  He took the map and the gold that was in his coat pocket and put them in my hands."

Jack flashed her a weary look, and he felt suddenly sick at hearing this.  What a fool he'd been when he was ten!

She smiled warmly to herself.  " I don't know what happened to him, I never did see him again… But…" Then she shrugged.  " That was how I got the map, and the gold that I handed to you."

" Aye…" Jack said softly, bearing into her with his gaze.  " That's a very interesting story… indeed."

Emma colored, stiffening under his gaze. " It's the honest truth! As you asked! It took me nearly thirty years to get the courage to face Hell Water again… but I think with a solid crew and a good captain, we can conquer it!  You…" and she blushed, despite herself.  "You seem like you might just be able to beat it… I couldn't take no for an answer from you- so… I pursued you…"

Jack looked flattered, " Well, I may be crazy love, and I admit I've gotten out of some pretty messy corners… however…" and his voice dropped a notch. She frowned and watched him apprehensively.  " I'm not stupid…now do ye want to tell me what it was ye saw under the water that night, or don't ye?"

Her breath caught in a tiny gasp, she shuddered. " Well—"

" If it's some kind of sea monster, then ye can forget it. I'll not go there." Jack said with finality.

" No! It wasn't that—"

" Well, what was it then?"

" A—" she swallowed and took a deep breath. " A shark…"

" A shark? Is that all?"

" No! You don't understand!" She shook her head and brought her hands up, reaching out for his collar.  She grasped onto it, leaning forward for emphasis.  " It was huge! It was the largest monster of a shark I'd ever seen. It could have swallowed eight people whole in one giant bite!  It must have moved into the territory while the pirates were away… the minute they jumped into the water, it was waiting for them! It was terrifying!"

She froze, realizing her position and quickly let go of him, falling backwards into the sand and shivered.  " So, there you go, that's my selfish story." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out  " I was going to use you and your ship to get to Hell Water so I could retrieve my treasure…"

" Yes…I wouldn't have expected less of you, love." Jack said with a fair nod. " It's what any pirate would have done, in that sort of situation. It's what I would have done."

She wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.

" However," Jack continued in soft tones  " That still leaves us with the problem of the giant man eating shark…"

Emma nodded in agreement. 

There was a short silence.  " So…" He called her to attention and she brought her eyes up to meet his reluctantly.  Jack was squinting at her with one eye partially closed.  "When were you planning on telling me all this, love?  Before, or after we'd gotten there?"

" Before…but...I'd wanted badly to be a member of your crew. For the code to apply…" She said softly.  " You would have just thrown me overboard otherwise."

He pursed his lips, regarding her levelly. Then rolled his eyes skyward and gave a tremendous sigh.  " You know, the code is really more like guidelines than actual rules…"

Her eyes shot up with a sudden glimmer of hope.

" Even if you'd been part of me crew, I would have killed you without hesitation."

The glimmer of hope died instantly.

" However…"

She dared to hold her breath as she watched a narrow grin spread across his face.

" It's not too different from what I was expecting, actually.  Giant sharks I can handle… with the right leverage… that is…"

" Really?" She said quickly, feeling her heart lighten dramatically.

" Aye… besides, you saved my life a day ago. I don't like to have blood debts lying over my head. Savvy? So… I figure the least I could do would be to sail you to Hell Water…that treasure is mine by right, after all."

"You were going to take me anyways!"

" But I didn't know I was risking my neck, those of the entire crew, and my ship at the time!" He argued.

"Yes you did!"

Jack ignored her and continued on without flinching. " For now though, love… let's keep all this to ourselves.  I'll have to find the opportune moment to tell my crew about you.  But let me be the one to tell, savvy?"

She glared at him, but realized it was hopeless to argue, and so nodded slowly, " What about Will and Elizabeth?  You said they were there when you pulled me out of the water…"

" You can tell them your story on your own time then," Jack said with a shrug of indifference. " Well then, daylight is breaking, we've got work to do today if we're to sail by the morrow."

There was a silence as he stood up and started walking away. Emma frowned; she couldn't leave the conversation on such unsure footing. She stood up and started following after him.  " So, you're going to take me to Hell Water, as you've agreed?"

" Aye!"

" In exchange for saving your life?"

" Aye!"

" And you'll recover your treasure?"

He stopped and rolled his eyes, then swayed back to look at her in one brisk motion with his head at a precarious tilt.  " Aye! It's what I've already said!  I still have a mind to go after my treasure."

"And what about MY treasure?" She said, trying her best to act calm.

 "Well…the problem there is…" Jack said with a look of regret, pursing his lips as he put his hands up with palms pressed together.  " Ye see… The treasure is The Black Pearl's by right.  The Crew and I all get an equal share. You are still not a member, my dear…"

She wished fervently for her dirk, so that she might be able to gut him with it on the spot.  But Jack continued talking, letting her angry gaze slide off of him like water.  "However, I may agree to give you what you want…"

" You will?" She took a step back, surprised.

He flashed her a sly grin.  " I said 'may' love, may… let's just say, it depends on your performance, savvy?"

"Performance?" She asked with obvious confusion. " What performance?"

He didn't answer, and instead shifted his walk to a peculiar but spirited bounce as he swaggered along the sandy beach.  The crew by this time had started to stir.  The sun was rising fast in the sky now, chasing the shadows of night away.

"WHAT!?" She cried.  "What do you mean by that? Hey! Sparrow?! You filthy PIRATE! STOP!" She ran after him, furiously, managing to cut him off in mid stride.

He stopped, looking down at her with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. " Yes?"

Emma jutted her chin out at him, and as hard as she tried to hide it her eyes were stinging with angry tears.  She'd just told him her entire story, divulged her secrets to him, the only human she'd ever known that she had believed cared about her even the tiniest bit…  She'd risked her life to save him, drove herself to exhaustion to find him… and he was just walking away from her?  All he could ever think about was himself! That selfish, rotten, bloody PIRATE! How DARE he!

"He never even THANKED me for saving him!"

Jack watched her, his eyebrows drawn together in consternation.  "Love, what in the blazes is wrong with ye?"

But without warning, she brought her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could, sending him off balance in an almost complete 180-degree rotation. He grunted and staggered.

" If you're so smart, why don't you take a wild guess!?" She said with vehemence.

He turned back to her, squinting and working his jaw. "Ahh… yes… I suppose I deserved that…"

" Tell me what you're planning!"

He swayed back and transfixed her with his steady, condescending gaze.  " Look here darling… You're just going to have to trust me."

" Ha! Trust a pirate like you? Not likely."

" Fair enough…" He said, not taking his eyes off of her.  She took a deep breath, feeling her heart quicken at his gaze.  He was so gorgeous, and yet… so completely impossible to understand. He had that familiar amused look on his face, like he was thinking dirty thoughts. Suddenly, she became uncomfortably aware of just how close he was standing to her.  They were practically touching toes.

" Ummm…" She realized she'd forgotten what she was going to say to him next, she'd been too caught up in the moment. "Uhhh…" She floundered for something intelligent, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  "So… are you not even going to thank me?"

" Beg pardon?" He questioned, tilting his head and sending his hair jewelry swinging.

" For saving you? Ohh- forget it! It's pointless to even try to—" But she swallowed the last of her sentence as a firm hand wrapped around her waist without warning.  He drew her against his body with a short jerk, then dipped her back unceremoniously, and kissed her full on the mouth.

It happened so fast, it took Emma a moment to register exactly what was happening, her heart leaped in her chest. She resisted for a moment, bringing her arms up, trying vainly and push away, but it did no good.  As she gave up the fight, she realized to her amazement that it was quite a nice kiss…  Her heart was pounding so loudly it was all she could hear, and her senses were filled with the salty sea smell of him, mingled faintly with sweat and rum.  This was definitely the Captain Jack Sparrow that she had hoped to come back to…

She didn't know how long the kiss had lasted, but it left her breathless when he finally released her.  Emma staggered back, looking at him in open-mouthed wonder.

" Thank you…" He said softly returning her gaze with his intense, darkened eyes.

"…Whh…why did you do that?" She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.  Her heart was still beating madly in her chest. She felt light headed and thought for a moment that she might faint.

" What? You don't like how I show my gratitude?" He looked at her in mock consternation.

" That's not what I meant!"
            " Well, next time say what you mean."

" I mean, WHY did you kiss me!?"

Jack raised an eyebrow and paused, considering her question.  " Because you were standing so close that I couldn't resist? I don't get these opportunities every day you know."

She growled under her breath about bloody pirates and turned and stalked off in the opposite direction of the camp.

"What?" Jack called after her.  " Can't a mate get any love?"

            She ignored him and continued her trek.  After she'd gone a fair distance, she turned around apprehensively and saw that he had not followed her.  He had continued on towards the camp where the pirates were now all fully awake.

" Why did I have to put my lot in with him?" She thought sourly.  " What did he mean, he couldn't resist?" She sat down reluctantly in the shade of a palm tree, and pushed the loose strands of hair out of her face, tucking them securely behind her ears. She grudgingly admitted to herself that she'd enjoyed his kiss, almost too much.  If he'd held her a moment longer, she was sure she would have embraced him.  She gave a long sigh and let her head fall back against the smooth white trunk of the tree and closed her eyes.  Then, his words from their earlier conversation ran through her mind uneasily.

… Let's just say, it depends on your performance, savvy?"

" Performance? What did he mean?"  Then she sat up with a jolt. That was what she'd been about to press when she forgot what she was going to say to him! She was trying to get him to tell her what he was planning and he'd given her such a distraction, it had caught her completely off her guard.  She felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment and she sat back again, folding her arms against her body with a glare of grim determination. 

"If it's anything dirty… I'll KILL him!"